Can Ford tell who's tune has been loaded?

[Fitzmotor]

I have read that Ford can tell when something has been written to the ECU, apparently it leaves a time stamp in the memory, but can they see what it is?

I have the Ford tune, I had the dealer I used to work at install it, now I am considering a more aggressive tune and especially one that does a better job on the trans shift points.

So the Ford tune is registered with Ford, if they go in and have a look during a warranty repair, what can they identify? the fact that it has had a tune or can they tell if was not not theirs, I know I can pull it back out, but can they tell what was there?

Or can they tell if it was a ProCal4 or a SCT tuner, I have a SCT leftover from my F150, so another tune won't be that expensive.

I know I can go ask the tune guy at the dealer, but that's just one answer, I thought I would toss the question out here, you rarely get just one answer here. ?

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[Fitzmotor]

I should add the tune company says Ford can only see key counts, not sure how that determines it has been tuned.

 

[JasonTremor]

There isn't a value written that says this is a SCT tune, but they can compare the calibration against a known OEM or Ford Performance calibration and will see a mismatch. They aren't going to go to those lengths though unless you have an engine or possibly transmission failure. If you have either failure while tuned, just be prepared to cover the cost. Even if you flash the ECM back to stock, there will be a check digit that indicates it has been updated before and would be used against you for warranty repairs.

 

[Fitzmotor]

That's what I figured, if I left the non Ford tune in there it would be a bust, if I reload the Ford tune at the time of failure it would be suspicious.

 

[Dgc333]

FWIW, when I go in for my annual safety & emissions inspection the print out I get at the end has the number of miles driven since the last time the ECU was flashed and the number of start cycles since the last time the ECU was reset (cleared codes). If generic inspection equipment can see this you know darn well Ford can see that and more with Ford specific equipment.

 

[Fawnbuster]

They can read the key starts, it resets each time a tune is loaded or changed. They can also pull the heads and look at the spray pattern from the injectors. Straight from the mouth of a friend who is a licensed Roush dealer and spoke directly with their engineers.

 

[Fitzmotor]

Yes, every vehicle records driving events, throttle, braking and such, it's a common occurrence to download data after a questionable accident.

Injector spray patterns, clever, you can tell a lot about the combustion by spray patterns and carbon deposits on the piston, as well as any piston erosion, I know Ford does like to deny warranty on modified vehicles, they once came through the service dept and plugged into several diesels, killed the powertrain warranty on the spot.

I sure would like to improve the shifting and the power, I went with the Ford tune for the warranty aspect, it did improve both the shifting and the power, but the trans just shifts too early.

I guess I may wait until the warranty runs out, I dont know, hopefully Ford will do some updates.

 

[puckdodger]

Put it to you this way, if Ford Pass can tell me im braking too hard, taking corners too fast and accelerating too hard with the Journeys function, you can be rest assured they know plenty about you, your setup and your driving with the onboard data.

On a side note, when I did the volunteer firefighting stuff, several accidents under investigation by the local PD had them walk up to a vehicle with a laptop to download data.

So don't think for a moment Ford hasn't built in features to monitor all kinds of parameters, including the state of the computer itself

Back in the day we had an airbag deploy in the plant unexpectedly while a car was being delivered to the shipping compound, and the amount of data that was captured at the time of deployment was staggering. Basically, the system takes a snapshot of everything the PCM and BCM control, throttle position and steering angle, brake percentage and god only knows how many other control modules. There is no avoiding it, or overwriting it later.

 

[Frenchy]

Ford can tell in general due to the PCM code itself. Will the dealer know? Not right off but Ford will know

 

[Fitzmotor]

In theory you could buy the Ford tune, register it, install it and the next day put in a tune from somebody else, that would be stupidly expensive but would they be able to tell? Sure they could see it's not the stock file, but can they tell it's not their aftermarket tune without having to compare timing tables or waste gate strategy, I dont know, I'm just going to wait for now.

Besides, I think the data collecting tailgate damper is really a spy, recording my every move ?

 

[Dgc333]

In theory you could buy the Ford tune, register it, install it and the next day put in a tune from somebody else, that would be stupidly expensive but would they be able to tell? Sure they could see it's not the stock file, but can they tell it's not their aftermarket tune without having to compare timing tables or waste gate strategy, I dont know, I'm just going to wait for now.

Besides, I think the data collecting tailgate damper is really a spy, recording my every move ?

I would venture a guess that they would be able read the check sum of the code and see that it was different than the check sum of the FP tune and know it was not the FP tune. But the time and effort to analyze what the difference is would cost more than just putting a new engine in.

 

[Jackpot Tremor]

ok, here's my concern/question.......I bought the Ford tune and had my trusted long-time mechanic install it at around 1,500 miles (I'm at about 6,300 miles now) on my 2021 Ranger Tremor Lariat.....but it turns out he let his ASE certification lapse so he's not ASE certified at the time of install or right now. and I didn't register the Ford Tune because of that.......but I also bought the Ford ESP (extended service plan) through Flood Ford for 6 years or 125,000 miles......what happens if the motor or trans takes a dump @ 100,000 miles and I'm within the warranty time frame, will Ford cover it? I bought the ESP for other reasons.....electronics, a/c system, LED lights (yes I bought the LED coverage), starter (due to the auto start/stop), carbon build-up, etc.....or would Ford have to PROVE the mechanic installed the tune improperly? installing the tune is so easy a DIYer can do it........what if I installed the Tune myself and the same scenario happened and the motor or trans takes a dump @ 100,000 miles.....is it still covered under my ESP?

I can't imagine the Ford tune (even if installed by a NON-ASE certified mechanic or a DYIer would cause catastrophic damage to the motor or trans (but you never know)......Should I even be worrying about this??

any and all answers/comments are welcome and thanks for your input!.......

 

[Frenchy]

ok, here's my concern/question.......I bought the Ford tune and had my trusted long-time mechanic install it at around 1,500 miles (I'm at about 6,300 miles now) on my 2021 Ranger Tremor Lariat.....but it turns out he let his ASE certification lapse so he's not ASE certified at the time of install or right now. and I didn't register the Ford Tune because of that.......but I also bought the Ford ESP (extended service plan) through Flood Ford for 6 years or 125,000 miles......what happens if the motor or trans takes a dump @ 100,000 miles and I'm within the warranty time frame, will Ford cover it? I bought the ESP for other reasons.....electronics, a/c system, LED lights (yes I bought the LED coverage), starter (due to the auto start/stop), carbon build-up, etc.....or would Ford have to PROVE the mechanic installed the tune improperly? installing the tune is so easy a DIYer can do it........what if I installed the Tune myself and the same scenario happened and the motor or trans takes a dump @ 100,000 miles.....is it still covered under my ESP?

I can't imagine the Ford tune (even if installed by a NON-ASE certified mechanic or a DYIer would cause catastrophic damage to the motor or trans (but you never know)......Should I even be worrying about this??

any and all answers/comments are welcome and thanks for your input!.......

It al depends on how Ford ESP wants to handle it. Even though it is Ford it really is just another aftermarket warranty company that likes to be a pain in the ass

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I would bet that Ford, or any other manufacturer really, would readily look for any excuse to deny a big $$$ repair like a blown engine.

 

[NotBudule]

As long as the tune is less aggressive than sport mode , they should be ok with it ... i know they wont be, but they should be...
mine is gobs better than even a month ago in D , but i still have a couple problem spots that only a tune will fix, but i cant eat a warranty repair either .

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